There are lots of private and public nurseries here in the UK, and choosing where to send their children is a big decision for parents. Understandably, parents want to ensure their children will be well cared for and have a fun, yet educational time at nursery.
Unlike public children’s nurseries, private nurseries are businesses and they are owned and run by private companies. Therefore, these day nurseries are keen to make sure they are the most popular choice amongst parents in the local area and all of their places are being taken. It is becoming more common for private children’s nurseries to work with mystery shopping companies to help them to maintain the high standards parents have come to expect.
If you own a nursery and you’re wondering whether mystery shopping is something you should invest in, below we have put together some information you may find useful.
How is mystery shopping used in children’s nurseries?
Several different mystery shopping services can benefit private nurseries and a bespoke mystery shopping package can be created specifically for your business. Some services are more valuable than others in this particular industry and commonly, children’s nurseries will use the following mystery shopping services;
All of these services will involve a mystery shopper pretending to be a parent of a potential pupil. The mystery shopper will interact with staff at the nursery, whether this is over the phone or face-to-face, and then provide feedback about their first-hand experience. Depending on what you’re wanting to get out of each mystery shop, the mystery shopper can ask different questions and this will help to ensure the feedback they provide is as useful as possible.
What are the benefits of mystery shopping for private nurseries?
Getting an insight into the level of service you’re providing to parents who are deciding whether or not to send their child to your nursery is undeniably beneficial. When you work with a mystery shopping company, you can assess every part of your customer journey and ensure you’re providing the best possible experience to every parent that contacts you.
If you have a franchise model and you own several private nurseries throughout the UK, making sure every nursery is providing the same high standard of customer service is crucial. Mystery shopping all of your franchises can help you to keep a close eye on each of them and prevent one inadequate franchise from tainting your brand name.
Once you have defined your goals, whether you’d like to convert more telephone enquiries into visits or develop the quality of the visits you provide, a mystery shopping company can design a bespoke package that helps you meet them. Various mystery shops can be conducted to give you a better understanding of the standard of service you’re currently providing. You can then use the feedback from mystery shoppers to improve your customer experience.
Mystery shopping is incredibly vast and in addition to providing feedback about the customer service your team provides, mystery shoppers can give you an insight into things such as; the cleanliness of your nursery, the facilities and activities you offer, and the workplace atmosphere. You will receive comprehensive feedback that enhances your awareness of various aspects of your business, enabling you to ensure you’re delivering in all areas that parents will assess before deciding whether to send their child to your private nursery.
Of course, mystery shopping is an ongoing process. After you have implemented any changes required to resolve issues highlighted in your first mystery shop, you should continue to work with a mystery shopping company. Having mystery shops regularly will help you to monitor the service you’re providing and continue to develop your business over time. This is key to remaining not just relevant, but competitive in your industry.
Finding a company that specialises in UK mystery shopping
It’s fair to say that all private children’s nurseries should be using mystery shopping services and our team at Proinsight will be happy to help you reap the benefits of a bespoke mystery shopping programme. As an experienced UK mystery shopping agency, we are experts at getting under the skin of businesses and every project we deliver is as unique as the businesses we work with. We know first-hand what excellence looks like and we can help you to achieve your unique goals. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about how we can help your day nursery.
